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How does steinbeck present the relationship between lennie and george
How does steinbeck present the relationship between lennie and george
What do steinbeck's first descriptions of george and lennie tell us about their characters
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Arguably the most famous tale of all time (perhaps due to its constant presence in schools and media references), Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is the tale of George and Lennie, both of which are traveling hired hands attempting to one day live the American Dream. Set in the 1930’s, George’s side of the Dream is constantly hindered by the clumsy and peculiar Lennie, who is the reason they have to be traveling hired hands. [insert thesis statement] Of Mice and Men’s main character (and perhaps protagonist), George, is a small-n-agile guy, who is the companion-turned-guardian of the confused Lennie. A traveling hand for hire, George fantasizes of the 1930’s American Dream; buying land, building a house, and essentially being your own
boss. The aforementioned and handicapped companion of George, Lennie, is seemingly the one thing getting in the way of this Dream. Ever since Lennie’s Aunt Clara died, George has been attempting to keep him out of trouble at every twist and turn. The whole of George’s emotional umph is siphoned by Lennie’s “act-ups”, those of which prevent George from working toward his Dream, or even living the life of a normal rancher. Hence, George’s roadblock from success is Lennie, who is a long time companion of George’s, but also a companionship George wishes to break often. This tension strains George’s mind, tearing him apart with decision after decision. Some readers can’t help but suggest George should leave his companion and pursue his dream. In some way, those readers get their wish, but definitely not in the way they portrayed it happening.
In chapter one, George and Lennie are introduced onto the scene and you get to know them a little bit and you get to see how they are related/ their relationship. When I read this first part, I could tell that George was pretty much Lennie’s caretaker and it was his job to find Lennie a job and make sure he ate enough and stayed a live. He kind of resented having to drag Lennie around (pg 11~12: “Well we ain’t got any!” George exploded. “Whatever we ain’t got, you want. If I was alone I could live so easy… But wadda I got? I got you. You can’t keep a job and you loose me every job I get.”), because Lennie’s a bit slow and he messes up a lot. He tries really hard to be good and listen to what George tells him to do, but in the end of every situation, Lennie forgets what George told him beforehand and sometimes it creates a little trouble (pg 45~46: “Well, he seen this girl in this red dress. Dumb like he is, he likes to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do. Well, this girl just squawks and squawks. I was jus’ a little bit off, and I heard all the yellin’, so I comes running, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on. I socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go. He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of the dress. And he’s so strong, you know… Well, that girl rabbits in an’ tells the law she’s been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie. So we sit in an irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day.”). But when you look at them, you can tell that George is...
is in the air. Animals begin to scatter. Two men have arrived on the scene,
In 'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck George is seen as one of the main protagonists of the novella. He is portrayed as a very selfless and noble character as he takes care of Lennie and defends him from the more malicious characters, such as Curley and his wife. George represtents the lack of opportunity for workers in 1930s Amercia as he is forced to travel around constantly and make little money for his work to survive from month to month.
I remember 20 years ago when I used to look after a guy called Lennie, he was a really nice, he was very tall with a very friendly smile. I had a slight problem though, he was a lot like a child. He would enjoy stroking things which are soft and warm. If he saw something he liked he would touch it and if he was scared he wouldn’t even let go. This meant he loved rabbits and mice but he didn’t know his own strength so he usually ended up killing them by stroking them too hard and crushing their skulls but he is really just like a big friendly giant. He has the strength of 2 men so he is usually very good at work but I always had to get him out of trouble. He would do anything I asked him to.
Of Mice and Men - George and Lennie seem to have a very close friendship
A coon dog and a tick, an oak tree with moss on the north side, a termite and its internal bacteria, and a shark with tiny fish that eat the extra meat chunks in between the teeth all have one thing in common: symbiosis. Defined as the interdependence of organisms, symbiosis is the basis of the relationship between George and Lennie in “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. One type of symbiosis helps both parties while another type involves one organism being hurt by the exchange. The dog is hurt by the tick while the termites and the bacteria benefit from each other’s presence. These types of symbiosis can occur in humans and are evident in “Of Mice and Men.” Both types of symbiosis exist between George and Lennie in the novel.
chance I get I’ll give you a pup” (p14) then he gets George to re tell
There are a variety of relationship of people can have with other people. In John Steinbeck's novels, relationships between characters can be difficult, but are always important. The central relationship in Of Mice and Men is between Lennie and George.
George Milton in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is crude, snarky, and downright normal. He’s a character that, while some of his decisions are questionable, is easy to relate to from his actions, thoughts, and personality. The idea of such a character being remindful of the reader by spirit or another is emphasized by Alan Moore’s quote, “I suppose all fictional characters, especially in adventure or heroic fiction, at the end of the day are our dreams about ourselves. And sometimes they can be really revealing.” Throughout the book, the reader will see George as an abundant wealth of realism from his own strengths and weakness. It’s not only limited to that, for his own appearance is neither an exaggerated stretch of flesh, nor an over-glorified Adonis, but that of an average person with common struggles in life (though that may be because of Steinbeck’s own habit of writing based off his experiences and views). Even though George’s speech may be considered partly obsolete, it not only is still understandable to readers, but it fits in the 1930’s setting in the book. Specifically, the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a historical, western to be exact, book on the story of one George Milton and Lennie Small’s life on a ranch. George Milton is shown to be a conventional character that’s shown to be easy to relate to, right up until his last action.
Even from the very start of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the uniqueness of George, as a character, is already noticeable. He is described as “small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features” and has an obvious dominance over the relationship between Lennie and himself. This lets the reader know from a very early stage in the book that George is different, and probably the essential character. George’s character seems to be used by Steinbeck to reflect the major themes of the novel: loneliness, prejudice, the importance of companionship, the danger of devoted companionships, and the harshness of Californian ranch life.
“Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck is a novel about the hardships of life and the importance of having other people around. The story is of two men trying to survive with one another in a world full of loneliness; their relationship is quite rare and strange. Lennie, a large bear, has a mental disability which causes him to be in a childlike state. George, a much smaller and more competent man takes care of both of them. Although they work for others on ranches, their dream is to get by on their own and live off the land. However, Lennie’s state causes conflict as they travel from job to job. Steinbeck uses clever ways in his novel to develop his theme and characters as the story progresses; both of these elements also help create a large
With the setting as the Great Depression in the 1930s, George and Lennie of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men have overcome the adversity of being unemployed as they pursue work through Murray and Ready.In addition, they are bindle stiffs and are among other dispossessed males who must ride railroad cars and migrate from job to job. However, they are not alone like most of the other workers; due to the fact they have the friendship and trust of one another. In the beginning to the end George and Lennie share the hope of having a little farm of their own on which they can live on "the fat of the land" someday. (Citation) With this dream, they conquer the terrible alienation that men without homes encounter. Thus, George and Lennie overcome the adversities of poverty, alienation, and despair while staying true to their friendship.
George, a character in Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck was “small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose.” (Steinbeck, Pg.2) George was Caucasian and it looked as if he had stepped out of an old movie containing drifters, better known as migrant workers. Although physically George was very small, he had complete control over his companion Lennie, the way a father controls a son.
The famed nurses study from Harvard found “Not having a close friend is as detrimental to your health as smoking.” Lennie and George’s friendship is necessary to keep the better for each other. Throughout the story, Lennie and George need each other and look out for one another no matter what. Lennie and George’s friendship and journey throughout the story symbolizes the struggles to achieve the American dream. Steinbeck, in the story Of Mice and Men, combines characterization and symbolism to prove friends do whats best for eachother.
Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie travel together, with George attempting to control and parent Lennie. Lennie is not mentally capable to stay out of trouble, so he ends up killing animals, and eventually a person. Finally George decides to take Lennie 's life, because it would make his own life easier. Needing someone or something is when a person or thing is necessary to someone/thing else. Selfishness is acting driven by oneself ' needs and wants as motives. George acts selfishly toward Lennie, killing him only because he didn 't want the burden of Lennie 's actions. To George, Lennie is just someone that he can use for his entertainment, which is selfish because he is only acting with his own entertainment,